Upton & Walden: Agreement “is the progress we have been striving toward”

WASHINGTON, DC -- House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) today welcomed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) endorsement of an agreement between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) on the relocation of government spectrum. The agreement was reached after bipartisan committee leadership worked with the DOD, NTIA, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Defense Department has agreed to relocate its communications systems to spectrum it will share with broadcasters, who currently use the band to facilitate broadcasts from outside the studio.

“The agreement reached by the Defense Department and the nation’s broadcasters is the progress we've been striving toward as part of our monthly discussions with the DOD, NTIA, and the FCC,” said Upton and Walden. “This effort will help free up licensed spectrum to meet growing commercial demand while protecting the missions of our men and women in uniform. This agreement is a long time in the making and we applaud Defense CIO Teri Takai, Major General Robert Wheeler, NTIA, and the wireless and broadcast industries for working to craft a solution that meets the needs of all of the parties involved.”

Background
The agreement paves the way for the Defense Department to move systems out of the 1755-1780 MHz band by creating a sharing arrangement between the Department and broadcasters in the Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) band. The BAS band facilitates news organizations’ broadcasts outside of studio facilities.